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Real Madrid are back in La Liga on Saturday with Santiago Bernabeu visitors RCD Espanyol taking on the Spanish champions. With three wins and two draws from five games, Carlo Ancelotti’s men are unbeaten but are still already four points off Barcelona’s pace at the top. Los Blancos have dropped points against both Mallorca and Las Palmas away from home, so they must be wary of becoming complacent against visitors who they are expected to beat comfortably. Wins against Real Betis and Real Sociedad and a UEFA Champions League victory over VfB Stuttgart means they are in good form with this match, as well as Alaves and Madrid’s derby against bitter rivals Atletico Madrid, before traveling to France to take on Lille in the UCL.
Real are unbeaten at home against Espanyol since 1996 and have won their last three games against the Catalan visitors. Back in the top flight, after rising through the play-offs, Espanyol will want to avoid immediate relegation to the second tier. Two opening losses were followed by two wins and a draw, putting a more positive spin on things for Manolo Gonzalez and his players. Espanyol have scored seven goals in their last two games against Real and their seven La Liga wins against Los Blancos have all come at home.
Here are our storylines, how to watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday September 21 | Time: 3:00 PM ET
- Location: Santiago Bernabéu – Madrid, Spain
- Watch: ESPN Deportes | Current: Fubo (try for free)
- Chances: Real -650; Sign +700; Espanyol +1600
Story so far
Real are aiming for three consecutive La Liga wins when they face their in-form visitors this weekend, with Barcelona leading by four points. Ancelotti’s team has eleven points from five games and has won both the last two league matches and the opening match of the UEFA Champions League. Espanyol won the last two games and rose to twelfth place with seven points.
Team news
Real: Brahim Diaz, Dani Ceballos, Eduardo Camavinga and David Alaba are all out. Jude Bellingham lasted 80 minutes against Stuttgart after the injury and the England international should start again. Eder Militao should come in with Rodrygo alongside Mbappé and Vini Jr. at the top. Endrick scored his second Real against Stuttgart to become their youngest-ever UCL scorer, but he is likely to remain as a substitute for now.
Possible real XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius.
Espanyol: Gonzalez should name the same XI if the Alavés win, with Puado’s hat-trick making him a good starter. Alejo Veliz should remain in attack with one goal so far, although Fernando Calero and Edu Exposito are unlikely to be available.
Possible Espanyol XI: J Garcia; El Hilali, Kumbulla, Cabrera, Romero; Tejero, Kral, Aguado, Carreras; Puado, Veliz.
Prediction
This should be an easy win for Real, but Espanyol will hope to make things difficult for the hosts. A winning margin of two goals sounds good, and a 3-1 score cannot be ruled out. Choose: Real 2, Espanyol 0.